ISBE STANDARDS & ASSESSMENTS
1.B.3a Preview reading materials, make predictions and relate reading to information from other sources.
We will preview reading materials using video footage, writing activities, and discussions. Students will relate the readings to the historical, political, and cultural information that we explore in class.
1.C.3d Summarize and make generalizations from content and relate them to the purpose of the material.
Throughout the course of the unit, students will continually relate their ideas regarding literary and historical content to their overall understandings of New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. They will do so through writing activities, discussions, a WebQuest, and a brochure assignment.
2.B.3a Respond to literary material from personal, creative, and critical points of view.
Students will respond to the readings by writing in their personal notebooks, putting on tableaux performance pieces, and discussing difficult and controversial political, historical, and cultural topics. We will assess this standard by circulating throughout the classroom while students prepare their written compositions, encouraging students to respond sincerely as well as critically to the given prompt(s) and to utilize the resources provided during the unit to the best of their abilities.
2.B.3c Analyze how characters in literature deal with conflict, solve problems and relate to real-life situations.
During one of our Zeitoun lessons, students will write about how/if they think the character Zeitoun could return to ordinary life after witnessing the chaos of Katrina.
3.B.3a Produce documents that convey a clear understanding and interpretation of ideas and information and display focus, organization, elaboration, and coherence.
This will be assessed as students are asked to synthesize the myriad unit materials both during the brochure WebQuest as well as the final graphic novel project and present their interpretations to the class.
4.B.3b Design and produce reports and multi-media compositions that represent group projects.
Student will be asked to navigate and complete a WebQuest, utilizing internet resources and web search tools, as well as create their final graphic novel project cooperatively in groups. In both instances, groups will present their resultant product to the teacher and the class, demonstrating their new knowledge and abilities.
5.A.3b Design a project related to contemporary issues (e.g., real-world math, career development, community service) using multiple sources.
The entire unit deals with contemporary issues in the real world. With each writing assignment, project, and text we encourage students to form their own perspectives on the issues in New Orleans today.
